Spanish Language Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for students, teachers, and linguists wanting to discuss the finer points of the Spanish language. It's 100% free, no registration required.

I would say Ese "tortuga" está lento. Está enfadado porque no ganará. Because you are using "tortuga" as a substitute of the Name but the subject is still male whatever you call him. Except if you're trying to joke about his masculinity.
–
LauraJan 22 '12 at 9:10

@Laura: Your comment should be an answer.
–
CesarGonJan 22 '12 at 13:52

@CesarGon I didn't put it as an answer because I'm sure there is some grammatical rule to explain it and I'm crap with grammar.
–
LauraJan 22 '12 at 15:00